CityLink rejects 'compensation' claim

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Toll-road operator CityLink today refuted claims by a Melbourne motorist that it overcharged him and secretly paid him compensation.

CityLink spokeswoman Jane Calvert acknowledged that Philip Brookes found an old pricing list on its website but described the mistake as miniscule.

She said when Mr Brookes notified them about the mistake they issued him a $20 toll credit in goodwill but said it was not compensation.

Ms Calvert strongly denied that customers should be entitled to compensation as the correct information was clearly available on the website.

"Neither Mr Brookes nor any other customer were overcharged so there is nothing to repay," she said.

"We acknowledge the fact that there was an old price list accidentally left on the web but our belief is that amount of people that would have seen it would be negligible."

Mr Brookes told the Herald Sun he was overcharged four cents for 12 trips between Toorak Road and West Gate, and claimed CityLink owed him 48 cents due to the incorrect price list.

Ms Calvert said the mistake was regrettable but emphasised that the price list Mr Brookes found was in an "obscure part" of the website.

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"What the Herald Sun didn't report, and what I would think was rather important, is that the correct prices were listed not only right alongside this old list but also on the five main areas where the information is provided on the website," she said.

"Where (Mr Brookes has) gone to is quite an obscure area. So when he drew our attention to it we said thanks, here's some toll credit for pointing it out."

"If you go to our front page (of the website) there's a big heading saying 'CityLink prices at a glance' ... the correct tolls were charged at all times," Ms Calvert said.

She expressed dismay that Mr Brookes went public with CityLink's act of goodwill and was sorry if he misinterpreted the gesture.

"Thank you for pointing out the error but we do regret that our token of goodwill wasn't appreciated," she said.